Hearts in the Clouds
by tarnishedrose
Summary: Caroline is an Angel of Light, sent down to the Earth to guide sinners onto the right path. She's about to face her biggest challenge yet: Niklaus Mikaelson.


Hello! This is actually my very first Klaroline fanfiction, though I've dabbled in writing here and there for a few years now and I've been reading fanfiction since.. ever. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Obviously, I own nothing you recognize.

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**CHAPTER ONE.**

"You _cannot_ be serious, Caroline."

Oh, the amount of times she'd heard those exact words fall in concern from her best friend's lips. Elena was known for her worrisome ways, and that worry would often come out to rear its ugly head at Caroline's decision making. After all, even angels have their fair share of flaws.

Caroline and Elena were two very different kinds of angels; Elena believed strongly in safety and morality, whilst Caroline was more of a 'do what you have to do' kind of girl. They each served their separate duties in Heaven. Whilst Elena was an Angel of Compassion, working to prolong human life and encourage forgiveness for those who need it the most, Caroline was an Angel of Light.

The Angels of Light fell under the Guardian category, but they didn't serve to watch over individual humans and guide them away from danger. They were assigned to the sinners, the worst kind of humans that roamed the Planet Earth. The ones that hurt other beings, broke all of the basic rules of the human world, and simply showed no sign of humanity or emotion. If the angels saw fit, they would give them one final chance at being saved by assigning them a Light. Caroline was one of those Lights, and she was about to embark on possibly her biggest challenge yet.

Niklaus Mikaelson.

He was a notorious killer, who'd managed to outrun the law his entire life. He'd committed more crimes than even the most forgiving angel would consider redeemable, but Caroline didn't believe in giving up. She'd never turned down a post, and she wasn't about to start doing so now. Even if Niklaus Mikaelson was one of the worst humans they angels had dealt with in centuries, Caroline would find a way to show him the error of his ways. Although, she did have a feeling that he already knew that the life he was leading was so very wrong. She'd been watching over him for quite some time now, and he seemed to have no problem with committing sin after sin. He was going to be a challenge, but she'd made a name for herself around Heaven as proving even the biggest challenge to be doable.

"I know what I'm doing, Elena. I promise." Caroline sighed, running a hand through her long blonde locks.

Well, it wasn't as if she was lying. She was more than aware of what she was doing, and she'd planned out her entire mission. Did she think it was a remotely good idea? No. But, most of Caroline's best ideas had been shunned at first. It was probably why she'd been the first choice for Niklaus. She'd always been willing to bend the rules here and there, but it was always in the good interest of someone else. Usually, her crazy ideas worked out and Heaven had one less sinner to worry about.

Besides, this had been a personal request from her Superior. Caroline had been the first choice for the job, which was actually fairly rare due to her unusual methods. Unusual being the nicest time that her Superior had ever thrown at her.

But to have the Superior pick her and personally request that she'd do it, it was a privilege. Most of the time, it was passed down from angel to angel until somebody agreed – and succeeded, of course.

There had been something about the way Superior had asked her to do it. It was as if she trusted her to fix this _abomination _of a man, the Devil's work, she'd said. He'd been lured further down to Hell, and soon enough, he would be there. But the angels weren't believers in letting people give in to the allure of darkness. Although there was a limit, and Niklaus had reached it. Which meant that the angels would give him one last chance by appointing him a Light – which is where Caroline came in – and if that didn't work, then he was deemed as not fit for Heaven and sent straight to Hell. Caroline was Niklaus' final chance at redemption, and she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Why don't I believe you?" Elena questioned with a quirked eyebrow, her chocolate brown hair falling effortlessly over her shoulder as she shook her head in challenge.

"Because you tend to jump to the worst possible outcome at everything?" Caroline challenged straight back, her face an image of pure innocence despite the harsh undertone to her words. "Elena, you know that I have to do this. This is what I do."

She observed the way her friend pressed her lips together, clearly thinking over the blonde's words. Caroline had a knack at persuasion, which had certainly helped as her to set every damaged soul onto the right path over the years she had spent as a Light.

"I still don't think this is a good idea." Elena sighed, her tone laced with hesitance and a sense of defeat as she knew Caroline wouldn't be changing her mind.

It was thought that every angel in Heaven had their counterpart; a non-romantic soul mate of sorts. For the past four centuries now, Caroline and Elena had considered the other to be their partner in Angel-crime. They balanced each other out, and they found their own guidance in each other. Caroline knew when that Elena's compassion would eventually get her caught in a very messy crossfire, and Elena knew that the same would be said for Caroline's belief in second chances. But, they knew when to back down and let the other go ahead and do what they thought what was best – even if it wasn't, in the long run. They were both very similar, yet different all at the same time.

With a grateful smile, Caroline nodded in acknowledgment. Not even Caroline thought it was a good idea, but that didn't change her mind. When she'd been asked to take on Niklaus, she'd barely hesitated for a single moment before accepting the post.

"I know you don't, 'Lena. But, I'm going to help him and it's going to be worth it. I've never failed, after all." She shrugged, before reaching her arms out to enclose her best friend in a warm embrace. "And if I do fail, then you can lecture me as much as you want. I can't promise I'll listen, but still."

She felt Elena smile against her shoulder, and they stayed like that for a few moments before the olive-skinned beauty pulled back to look at her. "As long as you know what you're doing. Which you do, I know – I just worry about you. The last guy you tried to help ended up trying to kill you, and would have succeeded had you been an actual human."

"But I'm not an actual human, remember? I'm just going to pretend that I am so that I can help this Niklaus. If I can get him on the right path, then I'd be doing the people of Planet Earth a huge favour." She explained, her green eyes wide with emphasis. "We don't just give on people, you know that. I just need to prove that he can be saved. I'm not saying it'll be easy, I'm saying it'll be worth it."

* * *

He threw back the contents of his glass as his cell phone buzzed incessantly. He knew it was probably Elijah – again. His brother had been hounding him all day but Klaus was in no mood for one of his brother's 'holier than thou' lectures. It was no secret that Elijah didn't approve of his methods when it came to the family's chosen lifestyle, but he would forever cling hopelessly to his ridiculous belief that Klaus could be 'saved'.

The Mikaelson family had held their reputation for many a century, generations of ancestors before them leading the same lives of crime and destruction. They had no shame, no guilt; it was how it was. They had never been caught in their sinful deeds, from robbery to murder. They knew exactly how to work the system, leaving mass devastation in their wake wherever they went.

You see, most humans had a sense of compassion and a guilty conscious to go with it. The Mikaelson siblings, however, did not. And Klaus was the best of the best.

His dear sister, Rebekah, often found herself swayed by the promise of love from a pretty face. Elijah was a man who hesitated before he acted, who was terrorized by the guilt he would feel after the loss of innocents. Never mind his constant desire for his family to lead normal lives, away from the hurt they so often caused. His siblings had never been able to master the art of not caring.

Then there was Kol, of course, who was far more suited to the job. His downfall came in the form of the amusement he found in everything, causing the authorities to be one split second away from finding them. They never did, of course, but it was risky and Kol loved it.

Of course, there was also Finn and their parents. But they didn't talk about them.

They had been leading their lives as criminals for as long as any of them could remember, having watched their parents hurt endless amounts of people. But they didn't talk about them. They were irrelevant.

As irrelevant as whatever it was Elijah wanted, Klaus assumed. The buzzing of his phone was getting on his last nerve, and he might just have had to kill someone to make it stop. Or there was the rational idea of turning the bloody thing off.

He was feeling nice today, what he could he say?

Perhaps it was the alcohol in his system that clouded his judgement, or the very idea of adding more fuel to the flame when it came to Elijah's impending lecture. Whatever it was that his delight of a big brother wanted now, it could wait. If it couldn't, well it would simply have to. He very much doubted that it was life or death.

And, if it was, well – everyday was life or death to them.

He stood from his spot on the leather couch, quickly grabbing a hold of his wallet and jacket before heading towards the door. If he knew Elijah, he would be around there by the time the sun went down and he could see that the air outside was already beginning to darken due to the winter months. Therefore, he would do everything that he could do avoid his brother and leave his own damn house. It was quite sad, the efforts he had to go to in order to get some time alone. But things were never easy when it came to his family.

It was only earlier that day he'd had Rebekah around, screaming about her latest boy toy and the awful mistake he had made of buying her earrings instead of a bloody bracelet. Klaus had felt sorry for the poor lad. Perhaps he'd pay him a visit and offer him a generous amount of cash to leave. They always left eventually; Klaus just found pleasure in hurrying it along. The less things his beloved sister had to distract her from her lifestyle, the better. Plus her work was always at its best when she'd had her heart broken. Not that his sister had a single bitter bone in her body, of course. She just enjoyed re-arranging the male anatomy when she was angry at the entire gender.

(Her words, not his.)

The cold air hit him instantly as he stepped outside, deciding on where to drive to. A trip into the city seemed like a fairly good idea; Chicago's nightlife had never disappointed as a distraction before now.

It was only a short drive into the city, but his phone had continued to test his patience the entire time. By the time he'd pulled into a parking space, he'd had enough and answered the billionth call.

"Elijah, please, would you care to inform me of what is so important that you've been forced to hound me so obnoxiously all bloody day?"

"Our dear brother has found himself in quite the dilemma, Niklaus."

Kol. Of course. When was Kol _not_ the problem?

"Pour him a shot of jack and hire a stripper. His wellbeing will be perfectly fine in no time."

"Unfortunately, I believe the problem may be ever so slightly more serious than usual." He heard Elijah sigh, and he could practically see the unique look of disapproval and judgement. "I believe his hate for the Salvatore brothers may have... clouded his judgement, per say, in regards to his recent mission."

"Spit it out, 'Lijah." He demanded, rolling his eyes even though he was fully aware that his brother couldn't see him. Whatever it was that Kol had done to the Salvatores, it was no concern of his. He could not care less for those two morons if he tried.

"You're aware that I put him in charge of investigating further into Guiseppe Salvatore's intentions, correct?" Elijah questioned, and Klaus mumbled positively in response. "Well, I'm afraid that Kol went ahead and carelessly invited himself into the Salvatore home. He beat Damon Salvatore to a bloody pulp."

_- cue a laugh from Klaus._

"Whilst Kol simply believed they would be out for, well – in his words, a game of hide and seek. Unfortunately, that was not the case. They managed to track down our Head Quarters. All of our documents regarding our clients as well as our personal details are now in the hand of the Salvatores."

"So kill them." He'd replied with an obvious lack of interest as he got out of the car, not giving his brother the opportunity to reply before hanging up.

That solution was very simple to him. Some days, he was sure that Elijah just enjoyed getting on his nerves with his morals and his ethics. Elijah always left the killing until there were no other options. Klaus preferred to get it out of the way the second the opportunity arose. Killing the Salvatore brothers seemed like the perfect opportunity to blow of some steam. He hadn't killed for his own reasons in a while, actually. He'd ran a guy over last week for an anonymous source with a deep pocket, and he hadn't heard back so he assumed there was a funeral to be planned.

For himself, on the other hand? He couldn't remember the last time. He hadn't inflicted any sort of pain out of boredom in a while, either. Perhaps he was losing his touch.

His focus on the phone meant he ended up walking straight into a passer by. Just as he went to curse at the stranger, a wave of blonde curls blocked his vision. Instinctively, his arm went out to catch her as she stumbled backwards.

Instantly, he was mesmerized. Had it been any other day, place, time.. he would have walked away without even an apology. But there was something about the girl standing before him; she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

* * *

The plan was foolproof. Her senses and angel abilities had meant that she'd managed to be at the exact same place at the same time as him, timing it perfectly so that she would bump straight into him. It was getting him to stick around and talk to her that she considered to be the challenge.

She stared up at the human, her blonde locks cascading gently around her shoulder, her face the image of innocence just waiting to be destroyed. She'd done her research on Niklaus Mikaelson – she knew he was a fan of destroying innocence. He seemed to enjoy it even more so when the innocence came in the form on a pretty girl.

But, there was something about him that intrigued her further when their eyes met. He didn't look like he was dangerous; he was actually quite handsome. He was very handsome, actually.

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry." She muttered, running a hand through her curls. "I didn't see you there."

-She was angel; little white lies were allowed, okay? Okay.

He was silent for a few seconds, his eyes studying her as if she was just a piece of art for him to admire. She'd played this game time and time again – the men she dealt with were Grade A scumbags, after all – but she couldn't help but feel cautious under his intimating gaze. She cleared her throat, and that seemed to bring his attention back to her.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." Klaus laughed. "Completely my fault."

He was utterly charming. Between his admiring eyes, those dimples and the way his words strung together like melted chocolate? It was no surprise to her that so many girls had fallen victim to his sinful ways.

And she'd read his files, watched his memories, stepped into his head, the whole lot. There had been _many_ girls. Many.

For a few moments, he continued to just... stare at her. She was sure that it was a way that these human men used to lure girls into their beds for unspeakable activities. The only problem was with her, that she was an angel – and angels didn't feel the same desires as humans.

- Not to say she wasn't affected, mind you. She was actually fairly sure that she was about to melt to the ground. _Goodness_.

"I'm Caroline." She muttered after a few moments, breaking their silence with the sweetest smile she knew he'd ever seen. It was her trademark, after all. Besides, she had to get him to befriend her in order for her to guide him and no befriending was going to happen when he was just looking at her.

"Niklaus, but please.." he paused, grabbing hold of her hand and bringing it to his lips. Her eyes widened slightly at the move, but she kept her cool and smiled. "Call me Klaus."

"Klaus it is."

" At the risk of sounding of very much like a stalker—"

(She bit her tongue in irritation. He _was_ a stalker. Literally. File four, pages 207 to 214.)

"—would you like to do me the honor of accompanying me for some coffee, _Caroline_?"

"..Coffee?" Oh. Right. That thing that humans are so desperate for in the mornings, of course. She'd been slightly distracted by the way her name had rolled so sinfully from his tongue. She felt like sinfully was a word she'd be using an awful lot when it came to him... Get it together, Caroline. Heaven is counting on you, for goodness sake. "Yes! I mean.. yes, of course. I would love to join you for some coffee, _Klaus_."

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Thank you very, very, much for reading! I hope it wasn't too awful! I would very much appreciate it if you let me know what you thought, so please drop me a review if you have a chance! Also I recently made a tumblr, klarolinechampagne, so give me a follow over there if you'd like. Until next time!


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